Inklingo

How to Say "shut" in Spanish

The most common Spanish word for “shut” is “cerrado” — use 'cerrado' to describe something that is in a closed state, like a door, window, or business..

English → Spanish

cerrado

se-RRAH-doh/θeˈraðo/ or /seˈraðo/

adjectiveA1general
Use 'cerrado' to describe something that is in a closed state, like a door, window, or business.
A simple, solid brown wooden door completely shut within a white frame, illustrating that it is physically closed.

Examples

La tienda está cerrada los domingos.

The shop is closed on Sundays.

La oficina está cerrada hasta las nueve.

The office is closed until nine.

¿Por qué tienes el libro tan cerrado?

Why do you have the book so shut?

Adjective Agreement

Like many Spanish descriptions, 'cerrado' must match the thing it describes in both gender and number: 'la tienda está cerrada' (feminine singular), 'los ojos están cerrados' (masculine plural).

Using Ser instead of Estar

Mistake: “La tienda es cerrada.”

Correction: La tienda está cerrada. Use 'estar' because being closed is usually a temporary state, not an inherent quality.

cerró

verbA1general
Use 'cerró' to talk about the past action of closing something, like a door or window.

Examples

Mi hermano cerró la puerta rápidamente.

My brother closed the door quickly.

Adjective vs. Past Tense Verb

The most common mistake is using the adjective 'cerrado' when you mean the past action 'cerró'. Remember, 'cerrado' describes a state (is closed), while 'cerró' describes the action of closing (did close).

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